We are students in Northwestern's Medill IMC [Integrated Marketing Communications] program in a Direct and Integrated Marketing course that teaches social marketing. As a part of our assignments, we need to better establish our professional personas and begin writing blogs on key topics which concern our future professional industries. You can also follow us on twitter using the hash tag #NUSocialIMC. Enjoy!

Monday, May 9, 2016

Product Marketers: 3 Action Items to Keep in Mind About VR and IOT

As a product manager, Virtual
Reality (VR) and the Internet of Things (IoT) poses interesting challenges - as
these technologies become more accessible to consumers, you have to think about
how to position these new technologies to consumers. As an undergraduate at
Northwestern University studying Psychology, Business Institutions, Integrated
Marketing Communications, and Entrepreneurship, I have found two interesting
articles for product marketers that relate technology to psychology and could
help them become aware of the impacts of VR and AI on the consumer psyche.

“What Does Virtual Reality Do to Your Body and Mind?,” in the Wall Street Journal by Jack Nicas and Deepa Seetharamandiscusses the side effects to using Virtual Reality, a topic
often glossed over by the media. Although Virtual Reality is an innovation that
will contribute greatly to the future of technology, there are potential side
effects of using VR. Many people in the tech industry, especially consumers
themselves, haven’t considered that there are potential psychological effects
after using VR. For example, after 30 minutes of using VR, consumers are advised
to take a 10-minute break because of the effects it can have on our perceptual
capabilities. Using VR can also cause fear and anxiety, as consumers are
completely immersed into an alternate universe. Product marketers need to take
these facts into consideration before mass marketing VR to consumers.

Source: The Guardian

In a TechCrunch article titled, “AI is not athreat to humanity, but an Internet of ‘Smart’ Things may be,” Abdalla Kablan discusses
what occurs with Artificial Intelligence is integrated with the Internet of
Things. Artificial
Intelligence has been combined with Internet of Things to enable certain
technologies to have brain-like intelligence. With the way this technology has
been progressing, it is possible that soon robots can predict distinct human
emotions like human irrationality. This could pose a threat to humans in the
future, which is a scary reality for consumers. The differences between human
nature and technology are slowing being blurred with each new innovation in AI
and consumers are taking notice, thus product marketers must keep this in mind
as they start to educate consumers about AI and IoT.

I have developed 3 action items
product marketers should consider as they start to strategize how to bring Virtual
Reality and Artificial Intelligence products to market, especially as these
innovations because cheaper and more accessible.

-Avoid the creepy - Don’t
scare consumers away from the AI and IOT combination; frame this innovation in
a positive light.

-Be aware - Acknowledge the dangers of VR by always being
vigilant.

-Tell the truth - Make
sure consumers know about the potential side effects of using VR.

Based
on an analysis of these two articles and my experience at Northwestern, I
believe that as Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality continue to
grow, transform, and become more accessible to consumers, product marketers
must think of the broader impacts these technologies have on the psychology of
consumers

Neha Kumar is a senior
at Northwestern University studying Psychology and Business with a
concentration in Integrated Marketing Communications and Entrepreneurship. She
is particularly interested in product marketing, consumer behavior, and
entrepreneurship.